Founded on Antiquity – Berlin’s First Museum

On August 3, 1830, the first public museum of Berlin and Prussia opened its doors. Designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel between 1823 and 1830, the Altes Museum has become the core of the Museumsinsel. This exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone in 1825. Visitors discover what the museum looked like at its opening, how it shaped modern museum culture, and what its educational mission was. Neoclassical architecture, a majestic rotunda with its oculus and decorated panels, imposing colonnades: everything contributes to making this building a temple dedicated to art and knowledge. The exhibition traces the evolution of the collections and the importance of this iconic site in Berlin’s cultural history.